Arm-rest



No 62|,507. Patented Mar. 2|

l. W. STEPHENS.

ABM BEST.

(Apphmtion filed Apr. 28, 1896.)

(No Model.)

UNITED STATES PATENT EErcE,

ISAAC IV. STEPHENS, OF SARDIS, TENNESSEE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ROBERT A. LEWIS, OF LEXINGTON, TENNESSEE.

ARM-RVEST.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 621,507, dated March 21, 1899.

Application filed April 23, 1898. Serial No. 678,609. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ISAAC W. STEPHENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Sardis, in the county of Henderson and State of Tennessee,have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Arm-Rests; and I do de-- clare the following to be a full, clear,- and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to arm or hand rests for bookkeepers, and has for its object to provide a simple, neat, and durable device adapted for easy adjustment to any desired height to bring the platform or rest proper to the plane of the leaf of the book in connection with which it is being used 5 and it consists in the parts and combination of parts hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, Figure l is a perspective view showing my improved arm-rest in position for use; Fig. 2, a plan view of the under side of the rest with the supportinglegs folded;'Fig. 3, an edge or side elevation with the flanges of the platform removed, showing the legs raised; Fig. 4, a detail view of the lever and bar, and Figs. 5 and 6 perspective views of modified forms of strips.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout all the views.

A represents a platform preferably covered with cloth and provided with flanges B on the under side of three of its edges and with short flanges B at one edge, to which the cloth is suitably secured. The platform is formed at one edge with a curved extension, to which, on the under side of the platform, is fitted a correspondinglycurved ratchet or toothed bar 0, the ends of which are thickened, so as to cause the body of the bar to stand clear of the platform for the purpose of permitting of the free movement of alever D between said platform and bar. The lever D is provided or formed with a serrated or .roughened end a, by which it may be grasped, and its other end is pivoted to a bar E and is normally held toward one side of said bar E by a spring I), which is secured to said bar E and engages a notch in lever D. The bar E is rigidly secured to a disk F, which is centrally pivoted to the under side of the platform, and said pivot also serving as a tension-screw, and said bar carries a pawl c, which is normally held in engagement with the teeth of the ratchet-bar O by a spring, d, carried by the bar E. The free or outer end of the bar E is cut out or recessed, as at e, to receive a pin f, projecting from the lever D, whereby the movement of the latter in answer to its spring b is limited by the ends of the recess, and which also serve by the engagement of the pin f therewith to move the bar E from side to side of the platform with the lever D when the latter is moved. The pin f also serves to disengage or release the pawl c from the toothbar 0 when moved in one direction. The disk F is formed with radial slots 9 at regular distances apart, through which extend short pins h, which are rigidly secured to sliding bars G, arranged to have free longitudinal motion in grooves H, formed in the under surface of the platform tangential to the disk, under which they extendfrom each corner of said platform. The grooves shown are formed directly in the material of the platform, and retaining-strips i for the bars G are secured at each side thereof; but it is obvious that the strips may be bent to the shape shown in Fig. 5, or they may be made of flat plates hav- 8o ing upturned and inturned edges, as shown in Fig. 6, and secured to the platform without grooving the latter and good results obtained.

To the outer end of each of the sliding bars 8 5 G a leg I is hinged, and near its free end said leg is pivoted between the ends of two arms J, which are hinged at their other ends to the platform, as shown, whereby the outward movement of the sliding bars G will raise the 0 legs I and the inward movement thereof lower the same, thus adjusting the platform to the height necessary to bring the upper surface of the same into the plane of the leaf of the book on which it is desired to write, at which height it will be held by the pawl engaging 'the teeth of the ratchet-bar The arms J serve to guide or direct the legs I when the latter are moved by thebars G. The ends of the legs I are provided with rounded rubber blocks 75. in order to prevent injury to the polished surfaces of desks and to prevent the rest slipping thereon when in use.

The flanges B B and the ratchet-bar serve to raise the body of the platform from the surface of the desk, and thus provide space for the legs when they are in their folded position and for the bar E, so that they will not come in contact with the desk. Corner-irons K are provided at each corner of the platform to hold the parts firmly together.

M represents a groove formed in the platform for a pen or penholders.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In an arm-rest, the combination of a series of sliding bars, legs hinged to said bars, hinged arms pivotally connected to said legs and means for simultaneously reciprocating said bars.

2. In an arm-rest, the combination of a series of sliding bars, legs hinged to said bars, means for guiding said legs, and means for imparting simultaneous reciprocation to said bars.

3. I11 an arm-rest, the combination of a series of sliding bars, legs hinged to said bars,

hinged arms pivotally connected with said legs, and means for reciprocating said bars.

4.. In an arm-rest, the combination of a series of sliding bars, legs hinged to said bars, hinged arms pivotally connected with said legs, a disk for operating said bars, a lever for rotating said disk, and means for locking said disk after it has been moved.

5. In an arm-rest, the combination of a series of sliding bars, legs hinged to said bars, hinged arms pivotally connected to said legs, a pivoted disk connected to one end of each of said sliding bars, a bar secured to said disk, a pawl carried by said last-named bar, a ratchetbar, and means for moving said disk bar to rotate said disk.

6. In an arm-rest, the combination, with suitable longitudinal and vertically-movable supporting-legs, arms guiding said legs and means connected therewith for moving said legs, of a bar, a pawl carried by said bar, a lever for releasing said pawl and moving said bar, and a ratchet-bar, whereby the legs may be locked or held in their adjusted position. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ISAAC W. STEPHENS. \Vitnesses:

J I. TEAGER, R. A. LEWIS. 

